Ian Duncan (rally driver)

Ian Duncan (born 23 June 1961) is one of Kenya's most successful rally drivers. He was Kenyan Rally Champion six times (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2000 and 2011),[1] and achieved outright victory in a World Rally Championship round when he won the 42nd Trustbank Safari Rally in 1994. This was one of seven consecutive top ten finishes in the event from 1990 to 1996, despite its notorious attrition rate.

Ian Duncan
Personal information
NationalityKenya Kenyan
Born (1961-06-23) 23 June 1961
World Rally Championship record
Active years1983–1999
TeamsSubaru, Toyota
Rallies15
Championships0
Rally wins1
Podiums4
Stage wins4
Total points80
First rally1983 Safari Rally
First win1994 Safari Rally
Last rally1999 Safari Rally

Career

He spent his childhood at his parents' farm in Limuru. His first tastes of driving occurred when he was aged around ten, as he helped his mother when she got stuck on farm roads during the rainy season. He went to St. Mary's High School, but was more interested in repairing cars and motorcycles. He also competed in motocross winning the national 125 cc title in 1979 and 1980. He competed in the Safari Rally for the first time in 1983 driving a Nissan pick-up navigated by Gavin Bennett, reaching ninth position and a class victory, gaining the attention of rally people.[2]

His first victorious national rally was the Nakuru Rally in 1987 driving a Toyota Celica twin-cam turbo navigated by Ian Munro.[3] Duncan won his first national championship the same year winning most of the races. He won the 1987 national Motor Sportsman of the Year Award.[2]

Having competed with a Group A Subaru Legacy RS and Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD in the 1990s. Apart from the Safari Rally, he competed in WRC rallies only a few times. The best result was finishing 3rd overall during the 1993 WRC safari Rally.[4] During this edition, Toyota achieved a famous 1-2-3-4 that was repeated during the 2022 WRC Safari Rally.[5] He would also finish eighth overall and win the Group N class in a Subaru Legacy RS at the 1990 Acropolis Rally in Greece, navigated by Yvonne Mehta (the wife of Shekhar Mehta).[6]

Later he was running a non-homologated Toyota Hilux with a turbocharged 4.5 L engine in the Kenyan National Rally Championship (KNRC). In November 2006 Duncan won the Guru Nanak Rally, becoming the first driver to win a KNRC round for the tenth time.[7] He was imposed a four percent time penalty due to his non-homologated vehicle. He extended the record in 2007 by winning the Guru Nanak Rally again.[8]

Duncan has won the Rhino Charge off-road event in 1998, 2006 and 2007.[9] He has competed in motorcycling. In 2003, he was the runner up of the Kenyan enduro, motocross as well as rally championships.[10]

He introduced his newest rally car, a Nissan Patrol pick-up, in October 2008.[11] In 2008 he also won the national autocross championship.[12] In 2009, 15 years after winning the Safari Rally proper, Duncan won the Safari classic rally driving a 1968[2] Ford Mustang navigated by his current navigator Amaar Slatch. The defending champion Björn Waldegård was left in second place.[13]

On 23 October 2011 he won the Kenyan National Rally Championship for the sixth time.[14] Duncan entered the 2011 Classic Safari Rally as a defending champion, now driving a Ford Capri. He finished seventh [15] In 2012 he came close to winning his second Safari Rally, now with ARC status, but lost to Carl Tundo by just 15 seconds [16]

WRC victories
 #  Event Season Co-driver Car
1 Kenya 42nd Trustbank Safari Rally 1994 David Williamson Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD

[17]

References
  1. Kenyan Rally Championship Archived 2007-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, WRC Place
  2. Duncan's mustang ride to victory, Daily Nation, 26 December 2009
  3. "Rallying: Rains pose challenges for drivers", Daily Nation, 23 June 2007
  4. "41. Trust Bank Safari Rally 1993". eWRC. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  5. "WRC 2022 Rally Kenya". Motosport.com. Motosport Network. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  6. 37th Acropolis Rally, Rallybase.nl
  7. "Duncan zooms to victory in Guru", Samson Ateka, The Standard, 20 November 2006
  8. "Tundo crowned as Duncan wins Guru Nanak", Ochieng’ Ogodo, The Standard, 22 October 2007
  9. "Ian Duncan retains Rhino Charge crown", Samson Ateka, The Standard, June 5, 2007
  10. Rose takes over KNRC, Daily Nation, 29 December 2003
  11. Ian Duncan returns to action, Daily Nation, 3 October 2008
  12. Duncan wraps up Autocross title, Coastweek, 17 October 2008
  13. Duncan wins classic rally, Capital FM, 1 December 2009
  14. The Standard: Victory again
  15. East African Safari Rally 2011 - official results Archived 2012-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Daily Nation, 10 June 2010: Fourth Safari win for Tundo
  17. "WRC 2022 Rally Kenya". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
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